Think about someone you’ve know who was both bitingly clever and charmingly aloof; someone who knew they were magnetic but didn’t actually care if anyone acknowledged it. Remember how much you enjoyed being in the presence of that person? I Love You, Honeybear, the sophomore album by Father John Misty, is very much the musical version of that rare person from your memory. Continue reading Father John Misty – I Love You Honeybear
(everything above the asterisks is concert review, everything below is album review)
I saw Starmother play a set in November to a crowd of maybe 50 people. At the release show for their debut album Electric Mistress this Saturday night, I had to push through a packed house at The Prophet Bar to get anywhere remotely close to the stage. The stage lights turned off, intro music came on, the crowd cheered in anticipation…I thought I was going to see a local band but somehow I stumbled into an honest to goodness rock’n’roll show. Continue reading Concert Review/Album Review – Starmother “Electric Mistress” Release Show @ The Prophet Bar
Sonic Highways finds Foo Fighters mired in an identity crisis; stuck at the proverbial crossroads of their own various sonic highways. Are Foo Fighters a modern rock band or are they flag-bearers for music history? Are they still relevant or are they and peers such as Pearl Jam becoming my generation’s Bruce Springsteen and Rolling Stones aka still producing greatest hits touring machines? I contend that Sonic Highways is proof that the Foo Fighters as we have known them should take a rest in order to let the true identity of the Foo Fighters shine through. Continue reading Review: Foo Fighters – Sonic Highways
Do a Google image search for “Gibson ES-335 Bigsby Tailpiece.” See that gorgeous guitar in the pictures? That guitar shapes the entire sound for Ryan Adams’ newest album, Ryan Adams. Continue reading Review: Ryan Adams – S/T
***Sometimes it’s a very lucky thing to stumble upon an established artist that you’ve heard of but never actually heard because you come into a new album with no preconceptions. Continue reading Review: J Mascis – Tied To A Star
The lack of heart is what’s really alarming
Alarms In The Heart is a fine album, which is the worst criticism I can level against a band’s output. Be fantastic, be terrible, either way go down swinging. Continue reading Review: Dry The River – Alarms In The Heart
Resist the urge to compare Benjamin Booker to (insert band name here). Yes, traces of the music that Booker listened to growing up can be easily identified but those traces amount to nothing more than a few pieces of a much more interesting puzzle. At the same time that his self-titled debut album is blues, punk, rock, and soul, it’s also none of the above. Benjamin Booker did what all great artists try to do, he made a record that captured “himself.” Continue reading Review: Benjamin Booker – S/T